NEA FAC 2012 Agenda

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NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 2012 ANNUAL MEETING AND REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY WASHINGTON, DC TENTATIVE MEETING AND EVENT SCHEDULE
Monday, June 25
5:30 pm – 10:00 pm		National Council of Urban Education Associations Meeting (The Liaison Capitol Hill)
Tuesday, June 26
8:00 am -   5:00 pm		National Council of Urban Education Associations Meeting (The Liaison Capitol Hill)
Wednesday, June 27
6:00 am  -  5:00 pm		NEA-Retired Annual Meeting (Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill)
8:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Ethnic Leaders Meetings
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		National Council of Urban Education Associations Meeting (The Liaison Capitol Hill)
9:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Resolutions Editing Committee Meeting (NEA Headquarters)
2:30 pm -   8:30 pm		NEA Student Leadership Conference (Washington Plaza Hotel)
Thursday, June 28
5:30 am -   4:30 pm		NEA Student Leadership Conference  (Washington Plaza Hotel)
6:00 am  -  5:00 pm		NEA-Retired Annual Meeting (Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill)
9:00 am  -  12:00 pm		National Education Employees Assistance Fund Annual Meeting
9:00 am  -    2:30 pm		National Council of Urban Education Associations Meeting (The Liaison Capitol Hill)
9:00 am  -  4:00 pm		Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee Meeting
9:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Joint Conference On Concerns of Minorities and Women (Washington Hilton)
9:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Resolutions Editing Committee Meeting (NEA Headquarters)
1:30 pm  -  5:00 pm		National Council of State Education Associations Meeting
4:00 pm  -  5:30 pm		Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee Meeting with Candidates for NEA Office
4:15 pm  -  5:15 pm		Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee Hearing
5:00 pm  -  6:00 pm		Women’s Issues Hearing
Friday, June 29
7:30 am  -  8:30 pm		Student Leadership Conference (Washington Plaza Hotel)
8:30 am  -  3:00 pm		Joint Conference on the Concerns of Minorities and Women (Washington Hilton)
8:30 am  -  6:00 pm		NEA Retired Annual Meeting (Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill)
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Candidates Interview Day (Capital Hilton)
9:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Resolutions Committee Meeting (NEA Headquarters)
3:00 pm  -  6:00 pm		Board of Directors Meeting (Capital Hilton)
3:00 pm  -  5:00 pm		Credentials Committee Meeting
4:00 pm  - 10:00 pm		National Council for Education Support Professionals Executive Meeting
Saturday, June 30	Annual Meeting (Delegate Registration and Policy Hearings Begin)
8:30 am – 10:00 am	Student Leadership Conference *Student delegates’ arrival to the state delegation meetings may be delayed as the student meeting is in an adjacent timeslot.
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm	Registration: Delegates, Successor Delegates and Non-Delegates
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm	Exhibits
9:00 am  - 11:00 am	Open Hearing on Resolutions
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm	Credentials Committee Meeting
10:00 am  -  3:30 pm	State Delegation Meetings
2:30 pm  -  3:30 pm	Sexual Orientation/Gender Identification (SOGI) Committee Hearing
3:30 pm  -  4:30 pm	Open Hearing: Policy Statement on Teacher Evaluation and Accountability
3:30 pm  -  5:30 pm	National Council for Education Support Professionals
4:00 pm  -  5:30 pm	Special Interest Caucus Meetings
4:00 pm  -  6:00 pm	National Council for Higher Education Membership Meeting
6:00 pm  - 10:00 pm	Special Guests' Dinner
ALL DAY	Campaigning
TBD	Outreach Service Project
Sunday, July 1	FORUM AND PRE CONFERENCE DAY(Format/Content TBD)
7:00 am  -  9:00 am	State Delegation Meetings
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm	Registration: Delegates, Successor Delegates and Non-Delegates
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm	Exhibits
9:00 am  -  6:00 pm	Credentials Committee Meeting
10:00 am  - 12:00 n	Open Hearing on Strategic Plan and Budget
10:00 am –  4:00 pm	Special Forums/Events
10:00 am  -  4:00 pm	Resolutions Committee Meeting (NEA Headquarters)
12:00 n   -   1:00 pm	Special Interest Caucus Meetings
1:00 pm  -  3:00 pm	Legislative Open Hearing
1:00 pm  -  3:00 pm	Open Hearing on Constitution, Bylaws and Rules
2:00 pm  -  4:00 pm	Elections Committee Meeting
4:30 pm	Board of Directors Meeting (Capital Hilton)
6:30 pm - 10:00 pm	Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner (Convention Center Ballroom)
ALL DAY	Campaigning
TBD	Outreach Service Projects
Monday, July 2
7:00 am  -  9:00 am		State Delegation Meetings
8:30 am  -  10:00 am		Exhibits
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Credentials Committee Meeting
8:30 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Delegate Registration
9:30 am  - 10:00 am		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
10:30 am  -  5:00 pm		Representative Assembly
ALL DAY		Campaigning
Tuesday, July 3
7:00 am  -  9:00 am		State Delegation Meetings
8:30 am  - 12:00 n		Voting for Officers
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Credentials Committee Meeting
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Delegate Registration
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Profit Fundraising Activities
9:30 am  - 10:00 am		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
10:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Representative Assembly
LUNCH BREAK		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
LUNCH BREAK		National Council for Education Support Professionals
Wednesday, July 4
7:00 am  -  9:00 am		State Delegation Meetings
8:30 am  -12:00 n		Voting on Amendments and Runoff Elections (if necessary)
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Credentials Committee Meeting
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Delegate Registration
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Profit Fundraising Activities
9:30 am  -10:00 am		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
10:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Representative Assembly
LUNCH BREAK		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
Thursday, July 5
7:00 am  -  9:00 am		State Delegation Meetings
9:00 am  -  12:00 n		Non-Delegate Registration
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Credentials Committee Meeting
9:00 am  -  5:00 pm		Non-Profit Fundraising Activities
9:30 am  - 10:00 am		Special Interest Caucus Meetings
10:00 am  -  6:00 pm		Representative Assembly
LUNCH BREAK		Special Interest Caucus Meetings

NEA Fine Arts Caucus Logo Design Winner

Proposed New Business Items

2012 NEA REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY NEW BUSINESS ITEM

Work to highlight student performances during NEA events.

Develop workshops on arts education to be conducted at the NEA Regional Conferences.

Devote portions of NEA’s TODAY to the arts;

Act as a partner with fine arts organizations to disseminate existing arts advocacy information and develop additional resources that create the “NEA Arts Advocacy Toolkit.”  The NEA Arts Advocacy Guide will be posted on the NEA website.

The NEA Arts Resource Guide will contain pieces that address the importance of the arts in a student’s comprehensive education, the need for the arts to be represented in curriculum reform, highlight models of effective advocacy campaigns and provide specific tools for students, arts educators and supportive patrons to use as they advocate for students.

Promote the Arts Advocacy Resource Guide in the NEA Communique, at NEA events, on the website and in social media.

Rationale:  It is our responsibility to make sure that the arts be protected in these trying times.  Educators and community members need guidance and support to keep arts programs as a vital part of a student’s comprehensive education.

NEA Fine Arts Caucus members have researched these sites and will gladly do the legwork to assist NEA Communications in accomplishing this.

Campaign Aims to Raise $5 Million for Theater Education

By Erik Robelen on May 2, 2012 4:10 PM

A new fundraising initiative is looking to bring in $5 million to support theater education in 19 U.S. cities. It comes as a recent federal report suggests that access to drama and theater instruction in elementary schools has sharply declined over the past decade, and at the secondary level, it's harder to come by in high-poverty schools than those serving more-affluent populations.
The new campaign, dubbed Impact Creativity, was launched this week with a $200,000 gift from accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP and its partners and principals. It's being orchestrated by the National Corporate Theatre Fund, based in New York City.

“I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.” JFK

Posted by Raymond Tymas-Jones On May - 1 - 2012

National Arts Advocacy Day is significant because it grants us an opportunity to gather as a community to reflect on the role of contemporary artists in the 21st century. No matter what the chosen art form, the passion to do art and to be art is born out of an insatiable yearning to make beauty, to make sense, and even to make waves.

As artists, we are summoned to bear witness of the truth of the human experience…the human condition and truth is more than simply facts. It is realness of life that is imbued with the psychological, emotional, spiritual elements of living that is not always easily accessible. It is this sense of urgency to communicate that artists find avenues to connect through music, theatre, film, dance, art, and literature.

Arts Advocacy Day 2012

The 25th annual Arts Advocacy Day brought together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with more than 500 grassroots advocates from 40 states across the country, to underscore the importance of developing strong public policies and appropriating increased public funding for the arts. View highlights from Arts Advocacy Day 2012 below.



Alec Baldwin delivered the 25th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, a leading national forum for arts policy, intended to stimulate discussion of policy and social issues affecting the arts. The lecture provides an opportunity for public discourse at the highest levels on the importance of the arts and culture to our nation's well-being.

Mr. Baldwin was introduced by Maureen Dowd, Pulitzer prize winning journalist, and preceded by a
musical performance by noted singer-songwriter Ben Folds, accompanied by YoungArts alumni musicians. Bob Lynch, Americans for the Arts' President and CEO, Ken Solomon, Chairman of Ovation and Hill Harper, the 2012 Co-Chair of National Arts Advocacy Day, also gave brief remarks.

2012 Nancy Hanks Lecture - Alec Baldwin from Americans for the Arts on Vimeo.

TO VIEW ALL VIDEOS, PRESS RELEASES AND MORE VISIT
http://www.artsusa.org/events/2012/aad/default.asp

Arts Education In America 10 Years After NCLB

This week, the U.S. Department of Education released a study entitled Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools 1999-2000 and 2009-10. This study was previously published in 2002 and highlights the impact that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has had on arts education.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan stated, “despite the importance of providing equal educational opportunities in the arts, today's report shows we are falling well short of that goal.”

ED Releases New Report on Arts Education in U.S. Public Schools

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley

On Monday, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education, released the findings of the first nationwide arts survey in a decade that comprehensively documents the state of arts education in U.S. public schools.

At the announcement, Secretary Arne Duncan pointed to the importance of the report because it allows us to compare changes in arts education over time, and it’s the first survey that enables us to get a clear sense of how the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law has affected arts education.
“It’s a good news, bad news story,” according to Secretary Duncan. On the one hand, there have not been significant national declines in the availability of music and visual arts instruction in elementary and secondary schools. However, for theater and dance in elementary schools, the percentages of schools making these art forms available went from 20 percent 10 years ago to only 4 and 3 percent, respectively, in the 2009-10 school year. In addition, at more than 40 percent of secondary schools, coursework in arts was not required for graduation in the 2009-10 school year.

Report: Fewer elementary schools offering visual arts, drama, dance; poor students hurt most

REPRINTED FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

MIAMI - Elementary schools without drama classes. High schools with large numbers of poor students that do not offer music.

Those are two of the bleaker pictures that emerged Monday from a report by the U.S. Department of Education on the state of arts education.

Fewer public elementary schools are offering visual arts, dance and drama classes than a decade ago, a decline many attribute to budget cuts and an increased focus on math and reading. The percentage of elementary schools with a visual arts class declined from 87 to 83 percent. In drama, the drop was larger: From 20 percent to 4 percent in the 2009-10 school year.

Arts Instruction Still Widely Available, But Disparities Persist

[UPDATE: (by Erik Robelen on April 3, 2:13 p.m.) A significant—and disturbing—change I missed in my initial blog post concerns access to music and visual-arts instruction at the secondary level for high-poverty schools. It dropped from 100 percent to 81 percent in music, and from 93 percent to 80 percent in the visual arts, when comparing data for 1999-2000 with the 2008-09 school year. Oddly enough, the opposite was true at the elementary level. Access to music instruction among high-poverty schools grew from 85 percent to 89 percent, when comparing 1999-2000 with 2009-10. For visual arts, it grew from 74 percent to 80 percent.]

There's a ton of data to mine in this new federal report, and I've only scratched the surface here. So you should definitely take a closer look if the subject of arts access in schools is of interest.
I'll close by highlighting a sobering comment from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities about how the percentages revealed in the federal report don't tell the whole story.
"It's important to note that, according to this study, tens and tens of thousands of children in our country have little or no access to arts education in their school," the panel said. "No recorders, no drawing self-portraits, no band or school plays. Disproportionately, this number consists of our neediest students."

Use Title I Aid to Teach Through the Arts, Advocates Urge

by Eric Roebelen, March 29, 2012

Arts education advocates in California are promoting greater use of federal Title I aid to support arts instruction that is designed to boost student learning in math and English/language arts. They argue that Title I—the single largest source of federal K-12 aid—is rarely used for arts-oriented education because of fear that the practices may run afoul of state or federal authorities.

"The very children who might most benefit from arts education as a resource to improve their academic achievement never get close to those resources," write Joe Landon, the executive director of the California Alliance for Arts Education, and Danielle Brazell, who heads up a nonprofit group called Arts for LA, in a blog post published this week.

Promote ARTS IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH in Youir Local

There are some great posters/psas for all arts content areas here:

http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/the_ads/009.asp | PSAs about arts in schools... For school.http://www.americansforthearts.org/public_awareness/the_ads/008.asp | PSAs about arts and children. For around towm almost.. That, or like for a major event targeted towards parents...

So…What’s Your Equation for Quality?

Posted by Kristen Engebretsen On March - 16 - 2012
I hope that everyone has enjoyed reading the various thoughts and stories from leaders across the country during our bi-annual Blog Salon (come back in September for our second one).

During the Salon, we heard examples of how folks are measuring quality, in terms of the effectiveness of their partnerships and their levels of student engagement:

• Talia’s story of training school leaders to look at student work using the Qualities of Quality.
• The results Merryl shared from her program, DREAM.
• Lynne’s explanation of partnerships that have (and have not) worked for her national association.

We also heard some calls to action, by authors who wanted to push the field forward:

• Seth’s ideas for shaking up education.
• Jane’s call to let go of the notion that “models” from the “pockets of excellence” in the field will emerge and conveniently help us “scale up” and solve all of our problems.
• Joyce’s simple reminder that creativity is the answer to this search for quality.

Thanks for following our salon on quality, engagement, and partnerships.

After reading all of these posts, have you decided on your own equation for quality in your community? I’d love to hear your final reflections in the comments section.
To view the salon in its entirety, please use this link: http://bit.ly/y9d2JV.

Wide-Spread Arts Education Cuts in US Schools

MetLife Survey shows Arts Cuts. An Education Week blog summarizes from the newly released MetLife survey of teachers. The survey reports on the impact of budget cuts, teacher layoffs, curriculum, and parent involvement. When 1001 teachers were asked about the reducation or elimination of arts or music programs: 23% reported programs were reduced. Of that 23%, 23% taught elementary; 33% taught grades 6 - 8; and 32% taught high school. So it seems the cuts were pretty evenly spread across grade levels. Teachers also reported cuts to foreign languages and physical education programs. More than one third (36%) of teachers report that during the past 12 months there have been reductions or eliminations of arts or music (23%), foreign language (17%) or physical education (12%) programs. Overall, these reductions or eliminations are more likely to be reported among teachers in urban areas than in suburban or rural areas (46% vs. 32% vs. 32%)... Teachers in schools with more than two-thirds minority students are more likely than other teachers to report that there have been reductions or eliminations of arts or music programs at their school (30% vs. 19%). Teachers were not asked specifically about the budget impact in any other content area. The data come from the 28th annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.

Drama and Theatre: Arts in Our Schools Month

TIOS 2012 Theme: Connecting Communities, Engaging Minds

Theatre and drama are essential in the lives of students all year, but March is designated to celebrate and increase public awareness of the impact of theatre in our schools and schools in our theatres. AATE invites you to celebrate Theatre in our Schools (TIOS) in your area! You know theatre education's power to make children's lives better, now shout about it and let the skeptics know how vital theatre is to youth development. More info can be found in the 2012 Official Guide. Here are a few tools:

Arts Advocacy in the Politics of 2012

In 2012, Americans for the Arts resolves to invigorate political discourse and the nation by continuing to spotlight the importance of the arts in America. Artists, teachers, arts managers and professionals, lawmakers, administrators, and advocates are integral to this mission.

This election year, the urgency is growing to have political candidates and office holders understand how arts are vital to our communities. We ask that you make your own resolutions this year by responding to this question:
How can the arts energize the political dialogue in your community this election year?
Here are some insightful responses to get you thinking. Add yours in the comments below!

Is it Getting STEAMi Here?

by Anthony Jackson on December 9, 2011 4:01 AM

The last in a three-part series, Asia Society's Heather Singmaster questions whether education should get STEAMier.

by Heather Singmaster

Last week Education Week reporter Eric Robelen wrote an article on the case for adding arts to science, technology, engineer, and math—or STEM—education entitled, STEAM: Experts Make Case for Adding Arts to STEM.

It caught my eye because I had just heard the term "STEAM" (the "A" is for "arts") being used in Korea where Tony Jackson and I attended the 2011 Global Education Symposium.
Mr. Jin-Hyung KIM, Director, Global HR Cooperation Team, Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in Korea, opened the conference by underscoring the importance of well-educated citizens as the engine that drives development and competitiveness. He said, "Great teachers are like the fuel that keeps this engine running."

Reources to Implement Arts Skills Map

Resources 

Organizations

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills

http://www.p21.org

P21 is a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student. As the United States continues to compete in a global economy that demands innovation, P21 and its members provide tools and resources to help the U.S. education system keep up by fusing the 3Rs and 4Cs (critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation). While leading districts and schools are already doing this, P21 advocates for local, state and federal policies that support this approach for every school.

Action Steps for Implementing the Arts Skills Map

Suggested Action Steps

 State PolicymakersIf you are a state policymaker, consider using the 21st Century Skills Map in the Arts in some of the following ways:

• Ensure that professional development professionals at the state level are familiar with the map and how it can be used in schools and districts
• Use the map as a resource in reviewing standards in the Arts
• Distribute the map broadly to educators throughout the state
• Engage with arts advocacy organizations about how the map can support arts and 21st century skills development  If you are a K-12 practitioner, consider the following action steps:
  

STEAM: Goals are creativity and engagement

by   Erik W. Robelen
EDUCATION WEEK December 1, 2011


The acronym STEM—shorthand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—has quickly taken hold in education policy circles, but some experts in the arts community and beyond suggest it may be missing another initial to make the combination more powerful. The idea? Move from STEM to STEAM, with an A for the arts.

Although it seems a stretch to imagine STEM will be replaced in education parlance, momentum appears to be mounting to explore ways that the intersection of the arts with the STEM fields can enhance student engagement and learning, and even help unlock creative thinking and innovation.
In fact, federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, are helping to fuel work in those areas.